Hakkasan Group
Dining at Hakkasan in Manhattan’s Theater District is more than just an experience - it’s an exquisite culinary journey through the restaurant’s innovative dishes that showcase traditional Cantonese cuisine with a modern twist. This year, I got to partake in Hakkasan’s celebration of the Year of the Monkey by attending its Chinese New Year dinner, which featured a limited edition menu created by International Executive Chef Ho Chee Boon.
Double Boiled Fresh Ginseng and Chicken Soup
Designed with the hope of bringing joy, luck, and prosperity to the diners, the elaborate pre fixe dinner began with a bowl of Double Boiled Fresh Ginseng and Chicken Soup. The soup was an excellent start to the meal as the flavorful broth enriched with ginseng, tender chicken breasts, bamboo pith, and wolfberry warmed my soul.
Diced Wagyu Beef & Pine Nut Golden Cup
The next course of “Small Eat” included Diced Wagyu Beef & Pine Nut Golden Cupand a selection of Hakkasan’s signature Steamed Dim Sum Platter. The finely diced, juicy wagyu beef and pine nuts were piled on top of lightly fried, crispy cup. Beyond the complexity of flavor and texture in the dish, I was impressed with the beautiful plating that highlighted natural colors of pomegranate seeds, micro greens, and flower petals.
Steamed Dim Sum Platter
There were four different varieties of dim sum in the Steamed Dim Sum Platter. My favorite was the Scallop Shumai. Wrapped inside chewy dumpling skin was a plump piece of shrimp and scallop with a scoop of caviar roe on top. The only disappointment in the platter was the Duck & Yam Bean Dumpling; the gravy-like, thick sauce on top of the dim sum, as well as the combination of mushy yam and salty duck, was not pleasing to the mouth.
Pipa Duck and Roasted Chilean Sea Bass
The shareable “Main” course featured a generous portion of four dishes and fried rice. My favorite was a tie between the Pipa Duck and the Roasted Chilean Sea Bass. The Pipa Duck had beautifully crispy, golden skin with juicy, albeit fatty, meat. The hoisin sauce at the bottom added pleasantly sweet end note. The Chilean sea bass, glazed with Chinese honey, was so succulent that it just melted in my mouth. I particularly enjoyed the tempura battered mushroom on top of the sea bass.
Wok-Fry Lobster, Hericium Mushrooms, and Scallop & Crab Fried Rice
Other dishes in the “Main” course included Wok-Fry Lobster in spicy truffle sauce with asparagus, mushroom, and carrots, and the vegetarian Hericium Mushrooms stir fried with lotus root, asparagus, and lily bulb in black pepper sauce. The Scallop & Crab Meat fried rice was the perfect accompaniment to the generally salty main entrees.
Golden Halo
To sweeten the palate, the dinner concluded with Golden Halo, an intricate dessert of soy caramel, cubed banana with edible gold flakes, chocolate truffle, and candied peanuts. Oh, and don’t forget about the dust of gold on the plate! At the end of the dinner, I also got to write my wish on a gold ribbon to hang in the restaurant and received a farewell gift of Year of the Monkey gold coin as a sign of good fortune. I have a feeling 2016 will be a prosperous year after this delicious Chinese New Year meal at Hakkasan!
No comments:
Post a Comment